Take a whiff of Sista Smiff and you'll come back for more, that's fo sho!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Some Say Loooooove....

I love me some Conway Twitty. That ol' boy could flat sing a song. The wimmins would go nuts when he'd point that finger and sing about how he could tell they'd never been that far before..bum bum bum. My favorite Conway song was one he did with Loretty, "After The Fire Is Gone"...I love "This Time I've Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me", "I May Never Get To Heaven", "I Don't Know A Thing About Love"...oh boy...Conway was such a good singer, I can overlook the ugly, velour suits he was so fond of. Conway had a knack for picking great songs, rightfully earning him the nickname "The Best Friend A Song Ever Had."

There's a point of contention betwixt me and the late Mista Twitty though and I just always wonder what in the world made him record "Slow Hand" and "The Rose?" Obviously, those two songs did ok by him and they were hits for him, but, for the sake of art....Conway....what were you thinking??

Everytime I hear him do "The Rose" (like I just did on Sirius) it absolutely cracks me up. "And the sooooooooooooooooooooo-(insert growl here) ooooooooooul afraid of dyyyyyyy(growl)innnnng...." oh lordy me, Conway, you are killing me. Maybe he had an allergy to the velour.

I always loved "The Rose" when I was a kid. It had a nice little melody. The lyrics, heh....not so prolific. Rose is also my middle name. It was my song. My sister's friend Andrea sang it in the talent show at Northside Jr. High when they were in like, 8th grade and she held a rose while she sang it. Man....that was living the dream, as far as I was concerned.

Someday, I must go do karaoke, if for nothing else, for "The Rose." I might do sign language, ala "Happy Hands" when I do. I'll let you know when that is going to occur.

7 comments:

Dave Morris said...

How 'bout "I've Already Loved You In My Mind," and "House On Old Lonesome Road." Couple of my fav's by Conway.

I'll never forget when I heard the news that he died. What a sad day, and he died so young.

grandefille said...

Every time someone mentions "Hello, Darlin'," I get tickled, because I recall that classic joke about the preacher going door-to-door and having every lady who answered tell him he looked just like Conway.

One that should be on the Sun Records ' Greatest Hits collection (which includes Elvis' "Mystery Train," Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," Carl Perkins's "Matchbox" and Jerry Lee Lewis's "Breathless") and is not is Conway's "It's Only Make Believe."

It's not on there because he didn't record it at Sun, is all. It is an absolute classic, no questions asked. And boy, does he WAIL on it. Sing it, son.

"That's My Job" always makes me cry, too. He was definitely one of music's best interpreters.

Blogarita said...

Dang it, grandefille, you stole my comment about the joke! ;)

I always figured he did The Rose and Slow Hand to compete with some of the other country artists who were having success with crossover hits (such as Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell.) Not his best work, IMO.

I think my favorite is "It's Only Make Believe".

Michelle O'Neil said...

I once went to a wedding, where they wheeled the couple's baby down the isle in a stroller and the bride walked down the aisle behind it to "The Rose" being played on a boom box(in a church).

Later...one of the bridesmaids sang The Rose during the service and again, several times at the reception.

I get a little misty every time I think about it.

I don't know why that couple didn't make it?

Sharon Collie said...

Oh lord....the mental picture of the baby coming down the aisle....is just too much. Sounds like an episode of "Roseanne." Hilarious.

Frank Strovel III said...

We share the same opinion about Conway's version of "The Rose". He totally butchered it, in my opinion. But it was the 80s and the record companies were crossover crazy back then. It's an opinion I keep to myself when I get a request for it because I know I will feel the wrath of many if I do. Otherwise, Conway was the MAN.

I've worked at my current station since January, 1993 and not since Conway died a few months later have we had such an overwhelming outpouring of phone calls from distraught listeners. Not even when Johhny went. I think Conway's passing was just such a shock and way, way too soon.

Sharon Collie said...

"As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone" with Loretty singing and Conway on the phone dumping her. So 70's. Love it.

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